Christmas Day 2020 - Stills

 Christmas Day 2020 in photos.

A day full of love, presents, laughter, family time and delicious food...

Christmas 2019

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

We had a lovely Christmas Day just the 5 of us for the first time ever. With family spread out, bush fires, work commitments and a busy year,  Christmas Day this year was a much quieter day than previous years. As we usually host Christmas, it was definitely a different vibe!

Noah began our day nice and early at 5.30am due to excitement and the need to check if Santa had been! There is nothing better than a child's happiness on Christmas morning. Bliss!

We pottered around in the morning speaking to family and wishing them a Merry Christmas, preparing lunch and the boys playing with their new gifts.

I set the table using my beautiful hydrangeas as the centrepiece. Everything else was kept pretty simple to complement them. I used my yellow gingham napkins as they hadn't been used in a while, gold chargers + cutlery and metallic crackers were the finishing touches. A shiny, festive feel.

Even though it was just the 5 of us for lunch we had all the trimmings. Turkey, pork, roast veggies and stuffing balls and of course 3 different desserts. It's not Christmas without enough food for leftovers! Mum popped over after work for a late lunch so there was plenty to go around ;)

So Christmas is done and dusted for another year. I have pulled all the decorations down already and packed them away due to our renovations, so the house is back to normal.  Although I always feel that the house looks a little bare once the Christmas decorations are down. 

It takes a couple of days to settle back into normality.

How was your day? 

Our Christmas Home Tour- 2018

December is here and we are embracing all things Christmas.

We pulled out our old favourite Christmas decorations and threw in a few new ones too.

The overall look in our home during this festive season is a very simple Christmas vibe with lots of garlands, wreaths and lots of natural tones. With a few sparkly pieces added in here and there.

As you enter the front door it is a mass of greenery with garlands from Ikea (old ones) and our wreath from Balsam Hill. It lights up on a timer at night. The wooden strands are from Kmart.

I kept the entry way pretty simple with a strand of bells, a mini fake tree and a sparkly Christmas message I bought at Target.

The living room mirror received a garland (old one from Ikea) a sequin "Merry + Bright banner, mini bottle brush Christmas trees and some reindeer and a sleigh from Kmart. The sleigh was originally red but I just painted it black to match it into my other decor.

I repeated the same garland and banner look for my other mirror. 

Our tree is the Baby California Redwood from Balsam Hill. I love the size, fullness and the lights. 

Our ornaments have been collected over the years from various places. 

Some from Target, Kmart, Adairs, Domayne, Pottery Barn, Down to the Woods, Myer.

Our buffet was dressed up with another garland (old one from Ikea) I really love these garlands as they drape easily, don't shed needles and are a bit thinner than some others I've seen.  

The wooden star and stockings from Kmart.

Another wooden star and silver baubles from Kmart. We've had the XMAS letters for ages and I've forgotten where they were from. This cute little reindeer was from Down to the Woods.

We have had this Christmas countdown for years. I think it was originally from Target. 

Mini bottle brushes from Kmart. Gold baubles in a cloche also from Kmart.

Another reindeer + sleigh..... 

In other years I have draped garlands on these shelves but I thought the plants added enough greenery.

Our Elf on the Shelf Melvin has returned and has been getting up to some fun activities. I bought some new accessories for him from Elf on the Shelf and My Magical Moments.

The kids love seeing what he has been up to each morning.

Have you got your Christmas decorations up?

Do you prefer neutral tones or traditional Christmas colours?

Christmas Day 2017

Merry Christmas! How was your Christmas Day? 

It was a lovely relaxed Christmas at home. It was a smaller group this year as we have family overseas and out of state.

Here's a snippet of our day .......

The boys laid out their Santa sacks and left some treats out for Santa and his reindeers. I love that there is still belief in the Christmas magic in the house.

One of my favourite parts of Christmas is setting the table for Christmas lunch. 

Hydrangeas always say Summer and Christmas to me so I kept things simple with several bunches of them in the middle of the table, a faux garland weaved around them and a few gold baubles.

Once the family started arriving we had a few nibbles and a drink and exchanged gifts.

Our Christmas cocktail this year was a combination of gin, elderflower cordial, lemon juice and soda water. I had a few requests for the recipe and the quantities we used for our mason jars. 

So here it is....

Mason jar - 3 litre capacity

400ml Gin

300ml Elderflower Cordial

2 litres Soda Water

Juice from 2 large lemons 

(or 3 smaller lemons)

Garnish with lemon wedges and ice.

All the trimmings for lunch. Pork, crackling, turkey, roast veggies, corn, potato gratin, stuffing balls and fresh bread rolls. Gravy, apple sauce + cranberry sauce on the side.

Noah especially loved the Christmas crackers this year and was very keen to hear all of the jokes inside! The jokes were as still as corny as ever! 

Dessert was Simon's pavlova and my Malteaser/Raspberry Ice cream cake. 

Also a small plum pudding and custard for the traditionalists ;)

The boys finished off the day with a swim and it was Christmas over for another year.

How was your Christmas Day? Did you host at your place?